Following the Natural Curve: Part Two
by Bella5
Summary: After leaving Hogwarts, Lily Evans soon realizes that she must now face the realities of her world a world that is slowly being torn apart by the most feared Dark Lord in anyone's memory. But by keeping her friends close and keeping James even closer, sh
1. Chapter 1

A/N: Millions and millions of thank-yous go to my beta, Daily Prophet Reporting, for his patience with me and my perfectionist nature. He has slaved over this story with me for over a year with wonderful tolerance and I really, really appreciate him. You rock, KC!

So, here's Part Two. I hope you enjoy it. I want to apologize ahead of time for the delays in this story – I'm about to embark upon my last year of high school and it will be a very busy time for me. Thank you in advance for your patience! And, as always, please review!

Chapter One

_Life and love are life and love, a bunch of violets is a bunch of violets, and to drag in the idea of a point is to ruin everything. Live and let live, love and let love, flower and fade, and follow the natural curve, which flows on, pointless. _

_-D. H. Lawrence_

Lily Evans woke up on Saturday, July 8, as suddenly and completely as if a loud noise of some sort had gone off in her ear. As she squinted in the morning light that poured through the window beside her bed, she wondered for a few seconds why her stomach was fluttering madly. Then it hit her: today was her cousin Sarah's wedding. And, more importantly, today was the day she would see James.

It had been just a little over a week since they had bid each other goodbye on platform nine and three-quarters, and though she had said she would not moon over James, that was exactly what Lily had been doing. She found she couldn't go more than five minutes without thinking of him and it was driving her mad. In a fit of desperation she had resorted to telling her mother of her dilemma, and Mrs. Evans had smiled in an annoyingly superior sort of way and said, "You'll see him soon enough, dear." Lily found that she couldn't look at the brooms in the closet without her heart wrenching painfully, and she kept seeing people that looked like James. The most memorable occasion was when Mrs. Evans and Lily had been shopping for dresses to wear to the wedding and Lily had thought she saw his mop of messy black hair through the crowd. As she was straining to see if it really was him, she ran smack into a road sign. A group of smoking thirteen-year-olds standing nearby had laughed at her until she gave them her worst death glare and moved on.

Lily's sleepy eyes turned to her small bedside table. As he had promised, James had been sending her sappy love poems he had written for her as early as third year throughout the week; she picked up the top letter and grinned as she reread it.

_Dearest Lily,_

_You hold in your hands the first poem I ever wrote for you. I thought I had burned it over some break or another, but obviously I didn't. You have to promise you will never, ever bring this up to Sirius; I don't want him to have any more ways to blackmail me than he does already. I apologize in advance for the completely horrible poem coming up. Not that any of them are particularly good._

_Sirius and I are going mad in all this rain. Mum hates it when we fly in it, even though it's perfectly harmless, and she rants on about catching colds and such. Well, hopefully it will all clear up for the wedding. Sirius and I are also keeping an eye out for flats in London and Diagon Alley, but so far nothing's grabbed his fancy. He really can be absurdly picky sometimes. _

_Anyway, I miss you. _

_James_

_Ode to Lily Evans_

_Lily Evans, you are my light_

_Your face shines like a big beacon _

_Throughout the night._

_I love it when you give big smiles_

_And your laugh is like a clear bell._

_For you, I would run a thousand miles._

_I asked you to Hogsmeade again last week_

_You looked at me like I was crazy-_

_And then called me an arrogant freak._

_I'll ask you again soon,_

_And I know one day you'll agree_

_And then you'll be so happy, Lily Evans, you'll fly with me to the moon. _

_P.S.: I seem to remember I couldn't think of anything to suitably rhyme with "soon". Though why I'm attempting to explain my motives to you I have no idea. _

Lily chuckled softly and closed her eyes, enjoying the warm, contented feeling floating through her. How was it possible that James could make her laugh, cry, and feel lighter than air all at once?

Lily kicked the fluffy duvet off her legs and sat up. She put the letter back on her night table carefully and read the clock; she calculated quickly that James would be arriving in a little over six hours. A huge burst of excitement gave her energy, and she jumped out of bed and bounded across the room to her closet. She grabbed her dressing gown, brushing past the dress she would wear that night, and threw it on, planning her day out already. She would go downstairs and have a good breakfast, read some of the book Remus had given her for her birthday until lunch, and then perhaps see if her father wanted to have a game of tennis. By then it would be time to get ready for the wedding, and after that – _James_.

Her day went very much as she planned, which added to Lily's good mood. The only slight hitch was how her father had looked exhausted and needed to sit down often during their game of tennis, which worried her. Regardless, she and her father returned, sweaty and hot but grinning, from their game just in time to bid Mrs. Evans goodbye. As Sarah was Mrs. Evans's sister Joy's daughter and since Joy had died when Lily was ten, Mrs. Evans felt it was her duty to be a mother to Sarah. Lily felt that Mrs. Evans was wasting her time, as Sarah cared more for her manicure than she did for her loving aunt, but it made her mother happy so Lily never voiced her opinions about her ingrate cousin.

"Don't forget, Bob, that we're family and we have seats at the front of the chapel," Mrs. Evans said as she kissed her husband quickly on the cheek. "And also, make sure you find Mother properly, will you? Right, love you both! I'll come join you as soon as I can! Say hello to James for me, Lily," she called with a wink before disappearing out the door.

Mr. Evans and Lily looked at each other for a split second before calling at the same time, "First shower!"

Lily wheedled her way into getting the first shower (he always let her go first) and grinned as she skipped upstairs into her bathroom. She showered, put on her new dark blue dress, and then dried her hair. She gave it a bit of a curl to make it more interesting and fastened on the pearls Grandmummy had given her. She then spent twenty minutes hunting for a suitable handbag that could hold her wand, and by the time she realized she was a witch and could transfigure something into the appropriate shape, she was feeling a bit testy. When she finally made her way downstairs, pushing her long hair back from her face and huffing at her stupidity, her father, looking very smart in his morning suit, smiled at her from behind his newspaper.

"Is everything all right, darling?" he asked worriedly, taking in her flushed face and frowning mouth.

"Oh yes," she said tetchily, not bothering to give an explanation. At that moment, a loud _pop_ and a crash sounded from the next room. Lily and her father looked at each other with alarm before hurrying into the family room, Lily with her wand drawn. Upon entering they found the towering collection of records that had been next to the record player strewn all over the floor; the record player itself was mere inches from falling off the table. In the midst of all of this was a very red James; he was on the floor, covered by the records, rubbing the back of his head – which he had obviously hit on the fireplace behind him – and looking very embarrassed. Lily couldn't help but notice, as she laughed herself silly, that he looked quite handsome in his suit.

James sat up on his elbow and waved his wand, and everything righted itself again. The records were put back into their neat stacks and the player was solidly situated on its table once more.

"All right there, James?" Mr. Evans asked, a smile lurking around his face, doing his best to ignore his hysterical daughter. He reached out a hand to help James off the floor, and James accepted it gratefully.

"Yes, yes, I'm fine," James said, glaring at Lily. "I'm very sorry, sir, I meant to appear at the door," he said to her father, trying to be smooth and charming. He reflexively ruffled his hair.

"It's no trouble at all, James." Mr. Evans grinned at them both before tapping his watch. "We need to leave in about five minutes," he warned before going back into the kitchen. Lily was seated on the arm of a nearby chair, clutching her stomach and gasping.

"Oh, James, I'm sorry, that was just – you should have seen your face-"

James grinned. "I suppose it was quite funny, wasn't it? Not quite the suave entrance I was hoping for."

Lily stared at him for a moment, still smiling, taking in his suit. James, meanwhile, did some staring of his own. "Lily – you look…"

"Fabulous?"

"Well, I was going to say incredible, but I suppose fabulous works too."

Lily stood up slowly from the arm of the chair, suddenly feeling a bit shy. He had never seen her in a Muggle dress before, had he? And her hair – she suddenly wished she hadn't curled it. It seemed silly now.

James chose to reach for a lock of hair at that moment; he twirled it around his finger. "You should curl it more often," he told her before leaning down to kiss her. All thoughts of her hair vanished instantly as she surrendered herself to his embrace.

"Mmmh, I missed you," he said quietly when they pulled apart, and Lily hugged him tightly in response. Her head fit perfectly under his chin.

They stood in silence for a few long minutes, just content to hold each other. Lily filled her nose with his unmistakable scent as he alternately stroked her hair and pressed kisses on top of her head. Lily finally roused herself from her slight stupor when she heard her father moving about in the kitchen. "We should go," she said into his chest.

"We should."

"I can't do anything if you don't let go of me."

"Ah, I see."

Still, they didn't move.

"Lily? Let's go, we're going to be late!"

Mr. Evans's voice was the very effective catalyst they needed to pull apart. Lily grabbed James's hand and tugged him through the family room and out into the foyer where Mr. Evans was waiting. He ushered the two out the door and into the waiting car.

The ride to the chapel was not very long. Mr. Evans and James entered into another discussion, this one about sports.

"She tried to explain Quidditch to me once, but I must confess I was quite lost," Mr. Evans was saying.

"Dad, that's because I didn't have any idea myself."

James grinned. "I'd be happy to explain it to you, Mr. Evans. I play Chaser – or, at least, I did – for Gryffindor."

"And he was captain," Lily put in proudly. "That's quite big, Dad."

"I say! Did you know, James, I was captain of my rugby team at university?"

James's brow furrowed and he shot a puzzled glance at Lily. "Ah, well, that's great, Mr. Evans."

Lily rolled her eyes. "Dad, he hasn't got a clue as to what rugby is."

Mr. Evans enthusiastically started to explain, in great detail, the rules and mechanisms of rugby. James hung onto his every word, asking numerous questions and making parallels to Quidditch. They parked in the practically full church car park and headed into the chapel, still deep in conversation. When they got into the church they were seated up front, Lily in between James and Mr. Evans. The two males continued their conversation as Lily looked around impatiently, trying to spot –

"Grandmummy!"

She waved to her grandmother and the beaming old woman squeezed into their row between Lily and her son-in-law. She was decked to the nines in a shockingly pink two-piece suit with impossibly huge diamonds winking in her ears. She was wearing a hat of the same loud pink shade perched jauntily on the side of her wavy gray hair, and a light pink feather protruded from the hat. Lily grinned hugely and took her time hugging Grandmummy.

Grandmummy would not be distracted. She elbowed Lily in the ribs. "And who is this, Lily darling? I didn't know you would be bringing a _guest, _love."

"Grandmummy, this is James Potter. James, this is my grandmother, Mary Stuart."

Grandmummy held James's hand in her old, withered one for a bit longer than Lily deemed necessary. "Such a pleasure to finally meet a – _friend_ – of Lily's," she said, winking not-so-discreetly at Lily.

"Grandmummy," Lily said in rebuke, and then turned a slightly embarrassed smile towards James.

"Her eyes, Lily," James breathed in an undertone as he retrieved his hand. His own brown eyes were wide. "Her eyes – they're the exact same as yours – incredible-"

Before Lily could reply, Grandmummy proceeded to gently bombard him with questions. "In Lily's year, weren't you, James dear?"

"Yes, Mrs. Stuart."

"And you went to the same school, is that right? For all seven years?"

"Yes, I did."

"And your parents – what do they do, dear?"

James tensed. Lily discreetly took his hand and squeezed. She looked at Grandmummy and said, "His mother works for the government."

Grandmummy took the hint. She changed the subject with infinite tact. "And have you decided what university to attend yet, James?"

This time, both Lily and James tensed. Luckily they were saved from answering by a flushed Mrs. Evans as she slid into the pew on Mr. Evans's other side.

"James! How lovely to see you again, dear," Mrs. Evans said, shaking his hand again. "Was the trip up here fun? Yes? Excellent. You look beautiful, Lily dear," she added, leaning forward to kiss her daughter. She then kissed Grandmummy. "Mother, what _are_ you wearing? I haven't seen that suit since-"

"1961," Grandmummy said immediately, beaming in reminiscence. "Little Lily's christening." She held out her foot, displaying a shockingly pink pump. "I would have worn it before, but I just yesterday found the matching shoes."

Lily giggled at her grandmother and glanced at James; he was grinning in amusement. She squeezed his hand again, and at that moment, the music Sarah had selected for her numerous bridesmaids to go down the isle to started. Everyone quieted and watched as they paraded down the isle on the arm of their respective groomsmen. Lily craned her neck to get a glimpse of her sister and Vernon. They were not hard to spot at the very end of the line. Lily had to bite back a slightly hysterical giggle at the picture the two made together. Petunia really was about one-fourth his size. And was that the beginnings of a _moustache _on Vernon's face?

Lily elbowed James and whispered, "That's them in the back, Petunia and Vernon."

James adopted a hacking cough to cover up his laugh. The cough got worse when Vernon stumbled and leaned on Petunia to regain his balance – and Petunia, buckling under his weight, had to throw her arm out and steady herself on a nearby pew. Lily had both hands pressed over her mouth to keep her mother from hearing her laughter, and James's coughing hysterically behind her did nothing to help the situation. James finally excused himself and left the pew.

As they all stood up to watch a beaming Sarah walk down the isle on her father's arm, Mrs. Evans turned worriedly to Lily.

"Is James all right, dear?" she whispered, dabbing at her eyes.

"Yes, Mum, he'll be fine," Lily said with a straight face. Mrs. Evans nodded and returned her gaze to the bride. Grandmummy, however, kept looking up at Lily. Her eyes were sparkling.

"He's a keeper, Lily," she declared.

Lily couldn't have agreed more.

James did return about five minutes later and spent the rest of the ceremony with a determinedly straight face. Lily felt like her laughter would burst forth at any given moment; she couldn't even glance at James out of the corner of her eye without feeling the hysteria rising. Only when Sarah finally exited the church with her beaming new husband on her arm did Lily allow herself to look at him. His face was carefully blank, but his eyes were sparkling madly. "Don't say a _word_," he told her out of the corner of his mouth as he followed her and her family out of the pew.

Lily reached back and tugged on the sleeve of his suit to signal she understood; he slid his hand into hers and squeezed in response. They remained clasped together until they had to separate and greet the wedding party.

Sarah's smile was so wide it threatened to split her face right in two. She hugged her cousin enthusiastically in her usual, very fake manner, and gave James a not-so-subtle once-over when they were introduced. Luckily, her new husband was occupied with another guest at the time.

Lily introduced James to the whole wedding party as they moved down the line, finally coming to Petunia.

Lily took a deep breath and leaned forward to kiss her sister. Petunia bumped her bony jaw against Lily's in response and gave her a very tight smile. Lily nodded to Vernon, who did indeed seem to be attempting to grow a moustache, and then turned towards James.

"Petunia, I'd like you to meet James Potter. James, my sister, Petunia."

Petunia's thin nostrils flared as she offered a limp hand to James. An unmistakable sneer played around her mouth in the guise of a smile.

"It's nice to meet you," James said politely, shaking Petunia's hand as firmly as he could.

"Charmed," she said, before turning to Vernon. "This is my fiancé, Vernon Dursley."

James stuck out his hand to Vernon, who grunted and shook it determinedly. Lily returned her gaze to Petunia, who suddenly looked quite anxious about something as she watched James and Vernon. Her frightened blue eyes connected with Lily's for a second, and Lily instantly knew what the problem was: Vernon didn't know Lily was a witch.

_Clever Petty,_ Lily thought nastily to herself as she and James rejoined the family and exited the church. _Not telling Vernon until you're safely married that your sister's abnormal, are you? Frightened that he'll back out of it, hmm?_

"Well, she wasn't really all that bad," James said as they followed Lily's parents and Grandmummy into the parking lot. "You know, if you like bony, sneering, horse-toothed women, that is."

Lily burst into giggles at his completely straight face and bland tone. When she had regained her breath, she said, "Yes, and he's not really all that bad, you know, if you like blimps with peach fuzz."

They both cracked up at that and continued as quietly as they could to come up with colorful metaphors describing Petunia and Vernon. They also rehashed the scene in the church when Vernon tripped. They were gasping and out of breath by the time they caught up with the adults, who were standing by Grandmummy's fire-red cabriolet; they had fallen behind because, at some points, they had been unable to walk because they were laughing so hard.

Grandmummy, Mr. Evans, and Mrs. Evans were watching the pair with great amusement.

"And what, pray tell, has got you both into hysterics?" Mrs. Evans asked, placing her hands on her hips.

James once again turned his laughter into a cough. Making a brave effort to control her laughter, Lily shook her head. "No – Mum – nothing…."

Mrs. Evans shook her head and helped her mother into her cabriolet. Grandmummy stared at Lily and James with a mischievous twinkle in her eyes.

"Right, see you at the reception, Mother. I'm going to head back to my car, and I'll meet you there, Bob." Mrs. Evans strode towards her car as Grandmummy roared off into the evening.

Mr. Evans herded Lily and James into the car, and they joined the long queue of vehicles waiting to exit the car park. Once on the open road, they drove the short distance to Sarah's home, where the reception was to take place.

"Be prepared," Lily said to James in an undertone as Mr. Evans parked on the curb. "You'll be meeting an extraordinary amount of relatives, half of whom I've no memory of myself and most of whom are bound to be scary."

"I await them with open arms," James muttered back with a wicked half-grin. They climbed out of the car and headed towards the house. It was a good-sized brick home with white balloons clustered on every available spot.

The three followed a group of other guests round to the back of the home; a huge white tent with dozens of round tables set for dinner greeted them. Mrs. Evans spotted them and hurried over. She was carrying a flute of champagne.

"There you are. The champagne's over there-"she gestured to a bar nearby "-and we're all seated at the same table as Petty and Vernon, right next to Sarah's table." She pointed inside the tent to a table next to what was obviously Sarah's table, as it was on a raised dais. "Dinner will start once everyone arrives." She smiled at Lily and James before taking Mr. Evans's arm. "We'll see you in a bit, then."

"Bye, Mum."

Mrs. Evans steered Mr. Evans away towards a group of people Lily recognized as good family friends. Lily turned to look at James, who bowed.

"Darling, can I get you a glass of champagne?" he asked, adopting a posh accent.

"That would be loverrrly, dearest," Lily simpered. James thrust his nose into the air and walked towards the bar, causing Lily to burst into giggles.

"Reminds me of myself when I was your age."

Lily jumped, startled, as Grandmummy appeared at her elbow. Her gaze was focused on James as well, and a knowing smile played about her bright pink lips.

"Do I?" Lily asked playfully, raising her eyebrows.

"Oh, yes. We were idiots for each other, your grandfather and me."

Lily sobered quickly; she very much missed her grandfather, who had died three years ago, and knew that Grandmummy did as well. She tried to focus on James at the bar, but found she couldn't see him.

"So, you think I'm an idiot for James, is that what you mean?" Lily asked, trying to keep her tone light.

"Obviously. And he's quite definitely mad for you."

Lily looked sharply down at her grandmother. "You think?" she asked quickly, and then winced at her eager tone.

"Ah, darling, I don't think, I know," she said, tapping her nose. Her green eyes sparkled up into her granddaughter's. "You want to keep this one."

Lily didn't reply; she instead chose to watch as James, carrying two flutes of champagne, made his way towards them. "It's a madhouse round the bar – had to fight tooth and nail for these two." He handed Lily a glass, and then, in the same movement, presented the other to Grandmummy. "For the two prettiest ladies here."

Grandmummy laughed delightedly. "What a gentleman! Thank you kindly, James, but I think I'd better stay with a good old Bloody Mary." She winked at the two before grabbing a nearby young man and towing him off into the crowd, presumably in a search for the aforementioned drink.

"Your grandmother makes up for Petunia and Vernon twofold," James told her as he took a sip of champagne. "Where does she get all that energy?"

Lily grinned as she sampled her own drink. The bubbly liquid slid down her throat smoothly; she had always liked champagne. "She's never sat still a day in her life, and she's very strong. You wouldn't guess it as she's so small, but really, she is. Goes on runs each morning."

"Wish I had that sort of dedication."

"Hmm, don't we all," Lily said, arching her eyebrow at him. James's eyes flashed.

"Do you have any idea what that eyebrow thing _does_ to me?" he asked her quietly. He casually sipped his champagne again, but his eyes were focused, heatedly, on hers.

Lily did it again, this time with a sly smile. "No. Why don't you tell me?"

James's eyes flashed again and he took a step towards her; Lily felt her heartbeat increase rapidly and her palms started to sweat. He smelled so good…. His eyes were boring down into her, a sly smile of his own playing about his lips. Lily moved forward slightly. They were so close she could feel his body heat. However, before she could close the remaining inch or so between them, a woman nearby burst into shrill laughter, and Lily remembered herself. She took a step backwards, glaring warningly at James.

"James, not at family gatherings!" she hissed. He grinned at her, though he was still slightly off balance.

"Sorry, but refresh my memory, darling - who was the one coming closer?"

Lily pursed her lips, trying to hide a smile, and looked away. She noticed that everyone seemed to be migrating towards their seats in the dining tent. She grabbed his hand and tugged. "Let's go, before we embarrass ourselves."

"Scared of a little public display of affection, Evans?" James murmured into her ear as they headed towards the tent. Lily shivered.

"I'm not scared of anything, Potter."

"Oho, that's a mighty cocky boast, isn't it, Evans?" He lowered his voice still more. "Why don't you prove it then, eh?"

Lily shivered again, her face lighting up like a lantern. If he didn't stop, her knees were going to give out. She shot one glare at him over her shoulder and made a beeline for her table. Mr. Evans, Mrs. Evans, Petunia, and Vernon were already seated. The only seats left were two between Petunia and Mr. Evans; continuing in the girl-boy trend, James sat next to Petunia and Lily next to her father.

Vernon, who Lily had always considered a step up from a mute, turned out to be quite an accomplished talker, much to her dismay. All it took was James's polite inquiry as to what Vernon did for work and he was off, droning for thirty minutes straight about his job as a contractor at some company or other. No one was allowed a word in edgewise. Petunia spent the time as close to Vernon as she could, shooting unmistakable daggers at James on her left. She shrieked during one point in the meal when James's elbow accidentally jostled hers.

"Petty! Is everything all right?" Mrs. Evans inquired, looking at her with concern, interrupting Vernon's monologue. Petunia forced herself even closer to Vernon so that she was practically in his lap.

"You stay away from me!" she hissed to James, who stared back at her in complete astonishment.

"It was an accident, Petunia," James said in as controlled a voice as he could. Lily felt her hatred for her sister threatening to bubble over.

"Could you at least _pretend_ to be nice, Petunia?" Lily said, her eyes glittering dangerously as she dropped her fork onto her plate. "I know it's very hard for you, but I would really appreciate it." The sisters engaged in a staring match that Lily easily won; Petunia looked away after a few moments with a sneer. Lily sat back in her seat, feeling only a bit of satisfaction, and glanced at her parents. Her father's face was carefully blank as he resumed his dinner, while Mrs. Evans was frowning at Petunia.

The table experienced a few minutes of awkward silence that even Vernon seemed unwilling to fill. Mrs. Evans, who had been caught in a sort of reverie, shook her head and seemed to gather herself. She forced a smile at everyone and then turned to Lily and James. "James, dear, I'm dying to know how you and Lily got together. She won't tell me a thing! Been completely mute about it the whole week, despite my best efforts. But I have to tell you, I'd always got the impression that the two of you didn't exactly get along."

Lily turned her glaring to her mother. "Mum! We don't need to-"

"Lily, it's fine. They need to know sometime, don't they?" James said from her right, looking very smug. Lily kicked him under the table.

"I don't _think _so, James," she said quietly to him in a tight voice.

James ignored her and focused on her beaming mother. "Well, it all started seven years ago when I met the lovely Lily on the Hogwarts Express. D'you remember, Lils? I came into your compartment – you were with Dorcas and Mary Katherine, and I was looking for Gwen – and you told me it was a girls' compartment, no boys allowed. And then – it feels like it was just yesterday – I came into the compartment, saying something like, 'You're not the boss of me!' and then you stood up – you were taller than me-"

Unwillingly Lily felt herself begin to smile as she remembered. Her mother was thoroughly entranced with the tale; she was leaning forward with a sunny smile on her face.

"-and you looked down your nose at me and said, 'I know every spell in the Standard Book of Spells, Grade One. I bet I can duel with you and win!' And then I said, 'Bet not!' and you pulled out your wand and yelled, '_Engorgeo_!' except you missed, and hit my hat, and it got so huge that it filled the compartment. We didn't know how to stop it – you were screaming, remember?"

Lily was grinning now, her eyes fastened on James, as she remembered. "And my shrieks brought someone – I don't even remember who – who took out his wand and stopped it, and then shrunk it back to its original size. You were so angry, I'll remember your face until I die-"

Petunia's second screech of the evening jerked Lily back into the present. Vernon's huge beefy face was slowly turning purple and he was choking on something, motioning frantically to his throat. Petunia shot out of her chair and ran around to the back of his and attempted to perform the Heimlich Maneuver, but her arms wouldn't fit all the way around Vernon's massive bulk. The rest of the table leapt out of their seats, Mr. and Mrs. Evans rushing around to help. James and Lily watched in horrified fascination as one of the members of the band dropped his violin and ran over to Vernon. He was extraordinarily large; Lily knew he had to have some giant blood in him somewhere. He got his arms around Vernon's waist and thrust his fist into Vernon's abdomen. The piece of food flew out of Vernon's mouth after one thrust and landed on a table nearby. The entire dining tent applauded the giant man as he returned to his instrument.

Once she made sure that Vernon was all right, Petunia whirled on her sister and James. "You!" she yelled, pointing at Lily. "This is all _your_ fault! You and your freaky boyfriend's! Why don't you take your _abnormalities_ and go somewhere _else_?"

"Petunia!" Mrs. Evans cried in a shocked voice.

"No, Mum! I can't take _her_ anymore! I never want to see her _again!_"

Mr. Evans grabbed his hysterical daughter and pulled her, shrieking, out of the tent. Vernon, looking as though he was in shock, sent fearful glances at Lily and James as he hurried out after them.

The wedding guests slowly settled back down, talking wonderingly about Petunia's outburst. James's arm was wrapped firmly around Lily's shoulders; Lily was staggered at what her sister had said. Mrs. Evans came over to them, shaking her head. She hugged Lily tightly. "Darling, darling, I'm so sorry. I don't know what's got into her. She didn't mean it at all, you know-"

"Yes, she did," Lily said quietly and intently, staring at her mother with blazing green eyes. "Mum, why can't you open your eyes and _see_? Petunia hates me. She _hates_ me. She's hated me ever since I got my Hogwarts letter in the mail. And she hasn't told Vernon about my 'abnormality' yet, so now she's upset because he knows and she's scared he won't marry her or something." Lily was looking at her mother bitterly. "She doesn't want me in her wedding. She never did. She wouldn't give a flying fig if I _died_ tomorrow."

Mrs. Evans was still shaking her head, looking dangerously close to tears. "No, Lily, no-"

"It's true. It's all true, and you know it." Lily lifted her chin. "I'll be home later, Mum," she said, and then grabbed James and pulled him out of the tent. She looked back as they were walking away; Grandmummy had her arm around her stunned daughter's shoulders and was gently walking her outside.

Lily turned her attention back to where she was going. James had his arm around her still and was leading her away from the tent, back around to the front of the house where the cars were. They stopped on the front lawn, and Lily met his eyes. "Poor Mum. I hate to have to do that to her, but she's been living in a fairytale world. A world where I'm four, and Petunia's eight, and we're inseparable."

James remained silent. Lily sniffled. She knew she was perilously close to tears. "Let's go somewhere, Jamie. I don't care where, let's just go."

James thought for a moment. "D'you think you can Apparate?"

Lily swallowed and nodded. James told her to visualize where they were going – he described a house and the street it was on in detail. Lily concentrated and then disappeared with a pop.

She reappeared across the street from the home James had told her about, and she watched as he appeared on the correct side. She hurried across the empty road, her heels clacking on the uneven pavement, as she studied her surroundings. The house was seemingly in the middle of nowhere and it looked like an old farmhouse. A large tree was just to the left of it, where James had said it would be, and as Lily squinted in the dusky light, she noticed that a forest of sorts seemed to be behind it.

James took her hand and together they climbed the stairs. James unlocked the door using a spell that Lily had never heard before and stepped inside. "Mum?" he called into the house.

"In the kitchen, Jamie," she called. James led Lily along a dark passageway and into a brightly lit room – the kitchen.

"You're home early – Lily! What a wonderful surprise, dear!" Mrs. Potter, who had been sitting at a table in the center of the large kitchen, said as she jumped up from her solitary supper. A wireless was playing softly in the background.

Mrs. Potter embraced Lily and then stepped back, getting a good look at her face. Lily was troubled at how thin she was, and struck with how very old she looked, but she didn't say anything.

Mrs. Potter narrowed her eyes shrewdly. "All right, James Potter, what did you do to upset such a lovely girl?"

"Me?" James spluttered indignantly. "Hang on a moment-"

"No, Mrs. Potter, James has been wonderful," Lily said sincerely, taking James's hand and squeezing. She started to explain more, but then stopped, feeling awkward. She looked down.

Mrs. Potter paused for a moment before gently steering Lily to a chair. Lily sank down into it gratefully; her shoes were becoming quite painful.

"Would you like a cup of tea, dear?"

Lily shook her head, studying her folded hands in her blue satin lap. "No, thank you."

_Oh, no_. Lily felt a painful prick around her eyes; her throat constricted, and suddenly she couldn't see her lap anymore. A single tear dropped down onto her hand. Another followed soon after.

James pulled up a chair and took her hands in his own. Lily pulled one free and attempted to wipe away the rivers gently coursing down her cheeks, but it was useless. A small sob escaped her, and in the next moment James's arms were about her. Mrs. Potter discreetly left the kitchen, closing the door behind her.

"Darling, darling," he murmured as he held her tightly. She cried silently into the front of his lovely morning suit – cried for Petunia, cried for her mother, cried for her lost childhood. When all her tears were spent, she pulled away; James handed her a serviette and she mopped up her face.

"I'm sorry," she murmured finally into the safety of the serviette. She pulled it away from her face a minute later and looked at James. His expression was unreadable.

"Why are you sorry?"

Lily shrugged, looking down. "Well, I ruined our evening, didn't I? Certainly ruined Sarah's wedding," she said with a hearty sniff.

"You did no such thing. Sarah'll get over it, and I had a lovely time tonight just being with you. And as far as your family – well, it's about time your mother wised up. And Petunia-"

Lily looked up when he paused and felt herself giggle as she caught his expression of extreme distaste.

"Well, Petunia'll get over it as well. The important thing is – are _you_ all right?"

Lily nodded and took a deep breath. "I'm fine. I am, really," she said when James looked at her skeptically. She leaned forward impulsively and kissed him. "Thank you."

"For…?"

"Being here."

James chuckled and hugged her again. "Anything for you."

Lily pulled back slowly and looked at him. Her heart was beating wildly – this was it, this was the perfect time to tell him-

"I love you, Lily."

He beat her to it.

"Oh, James, I love you, too," Lily exclaimed, throwing herself forward into his arms. "I love you so much."

"I've loved you since that first day – on the train," he gasped in between kisses. "Even when, through the years, I claimed I hated you – I've always loved you."

And then he was kissing her, and she was crying again, but this time for completely different reasons. He loved her.

He loved her.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter Two

Lily hesitated for a split second before muttering, "_Alohomora_!" to the doorknob and gesturing with her wand. The lock clicked softly; she slid inside the house with a soft _swish_ as her dress moved against the doorframe. She turned and noticed with a mixture of happiness and apprehension that her parents were still awake and seated in the sitting room – happiness because they must still love her despite her yelling at Petunia, and apprehension because she knew she was about to get an earful.

She stood in the doorway for a moment, silently watching them. Mr. Evans was in his wing-chair, calmly perusing a newspaper. Mrs. Evans was curled on the couch with her legs beneath her in a child-like pose; she was in her dressing gown, although her hair was still up in its fancy style from the wedding. She had a magazine on her lap, but she wasn't paying any attention to it – during the two minutes Lily stood in the doorway, she must have looked at the clock on the mantelpiece ten times.

Lily lifted her chin, took a deep breath, stepped into the room, and cleared her throat. Mrs. Evans's head spun towards her daughter in a split second.

"Lily Evans! You gave us such a fright, leaving the party like that!" she exclaimed, getting up from the couch and striding towards Lily. "It's nearly midnight! There's so much out there, I was worried sick – I had no _idea_ where you were, what with all those Death-whatsits running about-"

Lily felt a stab of remorse. Her mother worried constantly about the goings on in the Wizarding world; she should have remembered that.

"I'm sorry, Mum," she said quietly. Mrs. Evans's blazing blue eyes softened slightly and she seemed to shrink a bit.

"I know you are, darling," she murmured, and hesitated before hugging Lily tightly.

Lily took a deep breath. "But I'm not sorry for saying what I said tonight, Mum," she declared, stepping out of her mother's embrace and looking her squarely in the eye. "You have to understand that."

Mrs. Evans suddenly looked very old and tired. She shook her head and changed the subject. "Where did you go? Please tell me you were with James."

Lily nodded. She wanted to talk to her mother about the situation between herself and Petunia, but obviously Mrs. Evans wasn't ready for that yet. She sighed, knowing that ignoring it would just make the problem worse. "Yes, I was with James," she finally responded. "We went to his house."

Mrs. Evans looked relieved. "Thank heavens. Poor boy – I bet we've given him a horrible impression of this family, haven't we? Probably never wants to come back."

Lily felt herself becoming irritated. "Mum, James doesn't care. He loves me."

Mrs. Evans snapped out of her dismayed thoughts and stared at Lily. Lily felt herself growing warm under her mother's steady gaze. A ruffle in the corner let Lily know that her father was listening in on the conversation from behind his newspaper. "Does he?" Mrs. Evans asked, her eyes wide and penetrating.

The warmth bloomed into a full-fledged blush as Lily nodded firmly. "He does."

"And – what about you, dear?"

Lily swallowed. "I – I love him too, Mum."

Mrs. Evans's eyes shone; just like that, her foul mood was forgotten. "I _knew_ he was a keeper, darling!" She clapped her hands delightedly. "Am I going to have to start planning another wedding?"

Mr. Evans cleared his throat; his paper had been tossed to the side in an abandoned heap and he was glaring at his wife. "_Chrissie_. I'd like to hold on to my little girl as long as I can. Don't go putting the idea of marriage into her head just yet."

Lily felt her face break out into a smile as she crossed the room and put her arms around her father. "Don't worry, Daddy. I'm not going anywhere just yet."

Later that night, when Lily had washed away all the makeup and, with it, all the tears, and climbed into bed, her mother padded softly into her room and sat on the edge of her bed. She looked down at the old duvet, stroking it absently. Lily waited. "I'm sorry about tonight," Mrs. Evans said finally.

Lily shook her head. "I'm the one who should be sorry for making such a scene. Sarah probably hates me."

Mrs. Evans shook her head. "She understood."

Lily doubted that strongly, but she overlooked it. "And, er – how's…?"

"Petunia?" Mrs. Evans's face tightened. "She's all right, I suppose. If anyone should apologize for making a scene, it's her."

"What happened after… after I left?"

Mrs. Evans smoothed the bedcovers over Lily's legs. "Well, it took us a long time to calm Petunia down, and then your father and I had to explain quite rationally to Vernon about your – abilities." She shook her head. "Petunia just stood there silently as Vernon yelled about all of us being stark raving mad – you know, saying there's no such thing as magic and all that. Your father quite lost his temper with the boy, and that shut Vernon right down, I can tell you. I think your father fairly saved the marriage – got Vernon to believe us and to understand that you're perfectly fine to be around." Mrs. Evans paused. "However, love, I think it would be best if you steered clear from Vernon until the wedding. I do want everything to be perfect for Petty. You understand, don't you?"

Lily could scarcely believe her luck. "Oh – of course I do, Mum," she said, trying her best to keep the glee out of her voice. "Yeah, I understand completely."

Mrs. Evans smiled. "You're a good girl." She smiled at her daughter for a minute, before winking at her. "And what's this about James, then? You know, I was only kidding about the wedding thing."

"I know, Mum," Lily said, feeling a ridiculously large smile tugging at her mouth. James's declaration was slowly but surely beginning to eclipse the argument. She lowered her voice conspiratorially and her mother leaned forward, caught up in Lily's excitement. "Well, I was upset, you know, because of this evening, and James was holding me, and – oh _Mum_, it was _so_ romantic – he told me he'd loved me since that first day on the train! That even when he _said_ he hated me, he'd actually loved me all along!" Lily trailed off, her eyes sparkling. "Isn't that the best thing you've _ever_ heard?"

Mrs. Evans squeezed Lily's hand. "Oh, darling, it is. I'm so very happy for you. And you're sure you love him back?"

Lily nodded, sobering. "Yes, Mum." She paused for a long moment, staring off into the distance as she picked at her fingernails absently. "I know I'm awfully young, but this – it doesn't get any better than this. I'm sure of it."

Mrs. Evans hugged Lily tightly for the second time that night. "Darling, just – don't move too quickly, all right? Remember that you've got your whole life in front of you."

"I know, Mum."

Mrs. Evans held her for a moment longer before pulling back and smiling at her. "And when do we hear from the hospital?"

Lily felt herself tense up in nervous anticipation. She had applied to become a Healer-in-Training at St. Mungo's back in May. Her N.E.W.T. results would determine whether or not she qualified for the position. "Well, my N.E.W.T. results come in later this month, and then the hospital has to look over them…. I may not find out until late August."

Mrs. Evans kissed Lily's forehead. "They'd be mad to turn you down," she said with a smile. "I love you, darling. Sleep well."

"Love you too, Mum."

Mrs. Evans closed the door gently behind her as Lily, yawning, settled down into her covers. She frowned at the lamp on her bedside table. To switch it off she would have to hoist herself up and lean all the way over to the light, and she was feeling ridiculously lazy. She thought for a moment and then pulled her wand out from underneath her pillow. She studied it for a few minutes. She knew, of course, that magic and electricity did not mix very well, but it was worth a shot, wasn't it?

Lily pointed her wand at the bright light bulb. "_Nox_," she instructed it firmly. The bulb cracked cleanly in half and fell to the floor, where it broke into even smaller pieces.

_Oops,_ Lily thought to herself. "Ah, well, at least it's off," she mumbled aloud. She allowed herself to chuckle for a minute before falling into a deep slumber. She dreamt of James kissing her as light bulbs shattered all around them.

_Greetings, Evans Family!_

_I do hope this owl finds you all in good health. We are having such horrid weather over here, and unfortunately that makes us all rather stir-crazy, if you will. Happily, just yesterday Sirius found a delightful home in Diagon Alley that is simply perfect for him, and we're all very excited. _

_In celebration of Sirius's new home, and in order to throw Lily and James together and embarrass them terribly, I would like to invite you all to dinner next Wednesday night. It will be very informal – robes and trousers for all – and I've found some new recipes that I am very eager to test. (Hopefully I won't botch them – in that case, I will just have to take you out.) I have also invited the Lupins, Pettigrews, and Watsons. _

_I sincerely hope you will be able to make it – it would not be half as fun without you! RSVP whenever you have a moment. _

_Looking forward to it,_

_Katharine Potter_

"What a delightful woman she is! Oh, how exciting – we certainly will go!"

Lily grinned at her mother as she took another bite of her tuna sandwich (her favorite). "We're free on Wednesday, then?"

"Oh, yes. And even if we weren't, I would cancel whatever it was we had to do to go to this. She paused for a moment, still smiling excitedly, and looked back down at the parchment. "What should I respond on? This paper is so lovely and thick…."

"Oh, Mum, it doesn't matter. Mrs. Potter doesn't care."

"I know, I know. I'd just like to make a nice impression, that's all," she said with a sigh. Then she got up, muttered something about some old stationary she had, and hurried off into the next room. "Back in a moment, love!"

Lily smiled and shook her head. She knew about the party, of course – James had owled her the night before and told her his mother would be inviting them the next day. Lily was very excited about the party. Her Muggle parents had never been in a magical home before, and she was anxious to see how they reacted to it.

She returned to what she had been looking at before the owl had arrived – her N.E.W.T. results. They had come the day before and she was still studying them. They were, surprisingly (at least to her), quite good.

**NASTILY EXHAUSTING WIZARDING TEST RESULTS**

**_Pass GradesFail Grades_**

****OUTSTANDING (O)POOR (P)

EXCEEDS EXPECTATIONS (E)DREADFUL (D)

ACCEPTABLE (A)TROLL (T)

_**Lily Carolyn Evans has achieved:**_

ArithmancyO

Care of Magical CreaturesO

CharmsO

Defense Against the Dark ArtsE

HerbologyO

PotionsO

TransfigurationO

Definitely good enough to get into St. Mungo's. At least, she sincerely hoped so. The mark in Defense Against the Dark Arts was disappointing, of course, but not exactly unexpected. With a wince, she remembered her inability to conjure her Patronus. Terribly embarrassing.

Mrs. Evans bustled back into the kitchen holding a sealed letter. She attached the letter to the Potter's tawny owl's leg, obviously feeling very wizardish, and Lily hid a smile. It would be very interesting indeed to see how her parents acted in a Wizarding home.

Wednesday rolled around, and the three Evanses hopped into the car and drove the hour or so that it took to get to James's house. Lily had attempted to make her parents Floo, but to no avail. Her mother wouldn't even hear of it, and her father, while intrigued about how it worked, had turned green at the thought of the intense spinning Lily had described. The car ride turned out not to be so bad; Lily was grilled by her parents about magical customs the whole way there. Lily patiently explained all of the strange things that they might see but was quick to tell them that magical dinners were no different from Muggle dinners, except that they took a lot less energy to prepare and clean up.

The family fell silent when the car turned down a deserted country road for the last few minutes of the drive. Lily recognized James' house when they came upon it and instructed her parents on where to park. They got out of the car and Lily studied James's house in the light of day for the first time. There was indeed a dense forest behind his house and an uninterrupted rolling field on the other side. The house seemed quite a bit larger as well, now that she could see all of it.

"This looks quite old," Mrs. Evans remarked nervously.

Mr. Evans cleared his throat gruffly. "Yes. At least a century."

"Oh, at least," Mrs. Evans concurred.

Lily hid her smile and led the way up the front steps. She knocked on the door, and almost instantly it was flung open by –

"Lily, light of my life!"

Lily wheezed as the breath was knocked out of her by a very excited Sirius Black.

"Sirius, for Merlin's sake, you're choking her to death!" Gwen said, appearing in the doorway. She waved over her boyfriend's and best friend's heads to Lily's parents. "How are you, Mr. Evans, Mrs. Evans?"

They responded as Sirius pulled back, a huge grin threatening to split his handsome face in half. "Have you heard about my house, Lily?"

Lily was still quite taken aback as she wasn't very accustomed to the friendly Sirius, nor was she quite used to hearing him call her by her first name. "Of course I have, Sirius. I can't wait to see it." He beamed at her and she turned around to her parents. "Mum, Dad, you remember Sirius Black?"

"So nice to see you again, Sirius," Mrs. Evans said.

Sirius bowed low over her proffered hand instead of shaking it. "Mrs. Evans, you are even lovelier than you were the last time I saw you," he said, and Mrs. Evans broke into a surprised laugh. "Mr. Evans, sir," Sirius said, turning to shake Lily's father's hand firmly.

Lily was glad to see both of her parents chuckling and visibly relaxing. "What a flirt this one is!" Mrs. Evans exclaimed.

"I try," Sirius said with feigned modesty.

Gwen shook her head and grabbed his arm. "Stop embarrassing yourself, you great git. Everyone's inside!" she called to the Evans family, and they followed her into the house, Mr. and Mrs. Evans still chuckling over Sirius's antics.

Mrs. Potter, lovely in a set of pale yellow robes, met them first and took drink orders before leading them into the large parlor. There Lily and her parents were introduced to the Lupins and the Pettigrews and greeted warmly by the Watsons, who they already knew. Lily was surprised to see that her parents weren't the only Muggles present; Remus's mother was a Muggle as well. She was petite, with the same brown hair as her son and a kind smile; Mr. Lupin was also a brunet, though his hair was a few shades darker, and he and his son shared the same expressive gray eyes. Mr. and Mrs. Lupin were both soft-spoken and dressed in Muggle clothing.

It was very obvious to Lily who Peter's parents were; they both had the same pale hair and short stature as their son. His father especially looked like him, with the same watery blue eyes and upturned nose. Both were dressed in black robes. They greeted the Evans family politely.

James appeared in the doorway and Lily met his eyes. She felt herself breaking out into a smile, and she started to make her way towards him, but was sidetracked when Mrs. Watson asked her if she wanted anything to drink. Once she had replied, "No, thank you," she turned her head and looked back at the doorway. James was nowhere to be found.

"Where's James?" She grabbed Gwen, who was talking to Sirius nearby.

Sirius smirked. "He's gone mental, that's where he is. Been pining after you for days."

Gwen scowled at him before turning back to Lily. "I don't know where he is."

"Check the kitchen," Sirius suggested, waggling his eyebrows.

Lily frowned, feeling her ire rise. "Sirius! Could you give me a real answer, please?"

He merely shrugged, grinning at her infuriatingly. Lily turned, walked out of the parlor, and stalked down the well-lit hallway towards the kitchen. Why hadn't James come out to meet her? They hadn't bloody seen each other in two weeks, the least he could do was greet her when she-

Lily suddenly felt a pair of invisible arms grab her by the waist and pull her into a dark closet, slamming the door behind her and pushing her up against it.

Lily ripped the Invisibility Cloak off of the person she quickly realized was in front of her with an angry shriek. "Potter! What the bloody hell do you think you're doing, jumping out at me like that?" Her heart was pounding from the fright she had just received. He laughed so hard he doubled over. "Oh, so you think that was funny, do you, Potter, scaring me half to death?" she demanded, putting her hands on her hips.

He took deep breaths and wiped his eyes. "Actually, yes, Evans," he gasped when he could speak again. "Added a bit of spice to an otherwise boring day, wouldn't you say?"

Despite herself she started to grin. "I know how to add a bit more spice to this otherwise boring day, Potter."

"Really, now?"

"You interested?"

"Very."

Their lips crashed together with an intense amount of heat. Lily ran her fingers through his jet-black hair, which was messier than usual from being underneath the Invisibility Cloak, and he in turn tangled his hands in her long tresses. He broke the kiss after several minutes (just when breathing was becoming difficult for Lily) and started tracing her jaw bone with his lips before moving down to do something marvelous to her neck.

"Missed you – so much," he gasped. She moaned as his teeth grazed her sensitive skin, her fingers tightening unconsciously in his hair.

"Missed you – more," she managed to get out. His hand strayed to the neck of her blouse and began to slowly work the top button free. With a presence of mind she would not have believed herself capable of at that moment, Lily pushed his hand away.

"James, we can't," she said, gasping for air. She felt cold now that he had stopped touching her.

"Why not?" he asked, looking almost betrayed.

"Because we're in a bloody closet with our parents in the next room!" Lily hissed, straightening her blouse.

James smiled and sighed. "I know. I'm sorry. It's just – all I've thought about doing for the past two weeks is dragging you somewhere dark and snogging you senseless."

Lily giggled. "Yeah. I know the feeling." He kissed her again, this time slowly and tenderly, before the sound of voices reached their ears. They pulled apart and froze. Lily recognized one voice as Mrs. Potter's, and the other unmistakably belonged to her mother.

"We should go," Lily breathed once the footsteps had passed by the closet. "We'll be missed."

"No…not yet," he said insistently, his arms tight around her waist. He leaned his forehead down onto hers. "Wait a moment."

Lily sighed and smiled, her eyes closing, content now that she was in his arms. "I missed you so much," she repeated.

"I missed you more."

"I doubt it, Potter."

"Want me to prove it?"

"Mmmhh…."

They emerged from the closet, red-faced and disheveled, a little while later. Lily giggled in the light and attempted to do something with James's horribly mussed hair, but as usual, it would not be tamed.

"Lily, James, where _have_ you been?" Mrs. Potter asked, coming out of the kitchen, her hands on her hips. Mrs. Evans appeared from behind her, adopting a similar stance. "Chrissie and I were about to call up the M.L.E.S."

"M.L.E.S?" Mrs. Evans questioned.

"The police, Mum," Lily clarified, her cheeks heating up. She knew her mother was taking in her tousled hair and wrinkled blouse.

"Er – we'll just be going now," she said, grabbing James's hand and tugging.

"Yes, can't be rude to the guests," James added hastily as Lily pulled him along. "Mrs. Evans, it is truly a delight to see you again," James called over his shoulder. "I am reminded again of how evident it is that Lily gets her good looks from you."

"Shut up, you big suck up," Lily muttered as Mrs. Evans giggled in their wake. "Honestly, you and Sirius are so-"

"Devilishly handsome? Charming? Ridiculously appealing?"

"I was going to say full of Doxy droppings, but if that's what you want to believe…."

"You, Lily Evans, are quite possibly the cheekiest girl I've ever met."

"That's a compliment, I suppose?"

"The highest."

Dinner was certainly entertaining. It was a bit awkward at times, specifically when the Pettigrews began talking (they were naturally awkward people, it seemed to Lily), but all in all, it went quite well. The Muggles and the wizards and witches bonded seamlessly and were having quite the time when everyone finished dessert. Lily was worried about her mother; she had consumed entirely too much of Madam Rosemerta's finest oak-matured mead and was giggling loudly at practically everything she heard. She was also concerned about her father, as he too had consumed (along with everyone else) his fair share of the powerful stuff. She wasn't sure how they would be able to get home as she didn't know how to drive and her parents seemed entirely too far gone to explain it to her. There was no way she would let either of them get behind the wheel.

At around eleven o'clock, the parents finally declared their intention to leave and stood from the table. Just as Lily was really beginning to worry about their situation, Mrs. Potter, who had only partaken of a glass or two of the mead, absolutely insisted that the Evans family stay overnight. Mrs. Evans agreed instantly, although her husband seemed rather reluctant.

"Bob, honestly, it's no trouble at all," Mrs. Potter said, placing her hand reassuringly on his arm. "Really. And I can't imagine you want to make the trip back tonight! We've plenty of room. Sirius and James can kip on the sofas down here, you can take the guest room, and Lily can stay in James's room. Really!"

Mr. Evans hesitantly agreed and Mrs. Potter beamed at them. They bade goodbye first to the Lupins, who used the Floo system out of courtesy to Mrs. Lupin, and then trooped outside to bid goodbye to the Watsons and Pettigrews, who would be Apparating away and could not do so from inside the house because of the wards. As they were drunkenly saying their farewells, Gwen, who had also consumed a bit too much of the mead, pulled her best friend aside, her blue eyes twinkling.

"Now, Lily," she said, grinning and grabbing on to her friend's hand unsteadily, "I don't want there to be any funny business tonight. I know James's got that cloak. You'd better watch yourself."

Lily shook her head at Gwen, grinning in spite of herself. "You're one to talk, Miss Watson," she teased. "Goodness only knows what you and Sirius have been up to during all of those visits your family makes here."

Gwen feigned outrage and pressed a hand to her chest. "Serious accusations, Lily! Oh, serious, did you get that? Sirius…serious…" She burst into laughter. She then turned to her boyfriend, who was in a huddle with Peter and James. "Sirius, you're _seriously_ a git. Isn't that funny?" she called.

Sirius crossed to her, grinned drunkenly, and grabbed her face with his hands. "And you're seriously gorgeous," he said, before bending down and kissing her.

"And I'll be in a serious amount of trouble if Mum and Dad see," Gwen said with a giggle when she came up for air, glancing towards her parents, who were laughing at something someone had said and not paying one bit of attention to their daughter.

Lily turned away from this display of affection with a grin, feeling the affects of the mead in which she had also partaken, and joined the boys. She slung an arm around Peter's shoulder and grinned across at James.

"Well, it certainly has been fun," she said, looking at Peter.

Peter laughed. "Yes, it has been, Lily." His face was rather red as he gazed up at her.

James's eyes were sparkling as he clapped Peter on the back. "Wormtail, old buddy, if I didn't know better, I'd say you fancy Lily here."

Lily gasped. "James! How horrible, Peter doesn't fancy me. We're just good friends, that's all. Right, Peter?"

Peter was steadily becoming more and more uncomfortable. He managed an unsteady "Right!" before mumbling something about joining his parents and wriggling out from underneath her arm.

Lily burst out laughing when he was gone and turned to James. "Was that entirely necessary, Potter?" she demanded, trying to look threatening and failing. "You totally embarrassed the poor dear."

"'Poor dear'?" he asked, coming closer to her, his eyes still sparkling madly. "If I didn't know any better, I would say _you_ fancy Wormtail."

"It's a good thing you know better, then," Lily said, her voice husky. James's eyes darkened with unmistakable desire, and he reached out to put his hands on her waist. Lily twisted out of his grasp, grinning evilly, and shook a warning finger at him. "You'll remember to keep your hands to yourself, James."

He clenched his jaw, not looking quite as amused as Lily felt. "You're going to be sleeping in my bed, Lily. Do you have any _idea_-"

"I've got to go, Lily," Gwen said, and Lily turned around, her face pink, to hug her best friend. She walked her over to the parents, tossing a pert wink over her shoulder at James as she went, and bade goodbye to them all. The Pettigrews departed instantly after the Watsons, and soon it was just Mrs. Potter, James, Sirius, and the Evans family outside. They trooped back into the house and Mrs. Potter immediately went into hostess mode.

"James, Sirius, upstairs now to change the sheets for our guests in your rooms," she commanded. They instantly went to do her bidding, laughing together as they trudged up the stairs. Mrs. Potter turned to her guests. "Bob, Chrissie, Lily, I'm sure I'll be able to find some things for you to sleep in. Let me just clean up the dining room and then I'll go find a few things for you."

"No, Katharine, I insist, let us do the washing up," Mrs. Evans said. Lily was amazed that she was standing up straight, let alone coherent enough to offer to help Mrs. Potter.

Mrs. Potter brushed aside her request and turned into the dining room. She waved her wand once and all the dishes rose and floated into the kitchen. Lily could hear the sounds of water running and cutlery and plates clacking as they were cleaned. Mrs. Potter flicked her wand again and the tablecloth rose, shook itself free of crumbs, and folded neatly before tucking itself into a drawer in a corner cupboard. She then waved her wand a third time and muttered, "_Scourgify_"; instantly the table was wiped clear.

Lily's parents watched all this with wide eyes. When Mrs. Potter was finished, Mrs. Evans turned to Lily and placed her hand heavily on her daughter's shoulder. "I think I'll leave the washing up to you from now on, darling."

Lily grinned as Mrs. Potter chuckled. "Excellent idea, Chrissie. I can teach Lily a right number of useful charms and such for doing this sort of thing." As she smiled, Lily was suddenly struck by how many wrinkles were present on Mrs. Potter's lovely face. She had always known Mrs. Potter was elderly, but now she was curious at just how old James's mum was. "Now, if you'll wait here a moment, I'll find some things for you to sleep in…."

She disappeared through a door located between the dining room and sitting room that Lily hadn't noticed before; she supposed it led to her bedroom.

"Very lovely people," Mrs. Evans was sighing, looking very content.

"Indeed," Mr. Evans concurred, putting his arm around his wife.

"Oh, group hug, darling, come on," Mrs. Evans cried, opening her arms to her daughter. "Come here, love."

Her mother was always overly affectionate when intoxicated. Lily obeyed them with only a tiny eye-roll and broke apart after a moment of squeezing. "Thanks, Mum and Dad," she said with a grin.

Mrs. Potter came through the door in that moment, holding a stack of clothing. She pulled the first neatly folded article off the top and handed it to Lily. It was snowy white and very soft. "A nightgown for you, Lily dear," she explained, and then moved to Mrs. Evans. "And one for you, Chrissie." She handed Mrs. Evans a pale yellow nightgown. "And this is for you, Bob," she said, handing Mr. Evans a blue-striped pajama set.

The family thanked her profusely before allowing her to escort them up the stairs. Mrs. Evans tripped quite a few times on the way up, giggling with Mr. Evans when she did so, and Lily once again rolled her eyes. Honestly, they were acting like a pair of teenagers.

The guest room, or Sirius's room, as Mrs. Potter called it, was the first door in the surprisingly small upstairs. Lily peeked at the cozy interior before bidding her parents goodnight and moving down the hallway to the room she would be staying in – James's room.

The boys were in there, Sirius directing a set of new sheets onto the large bed in the middle of the room while James was tidying up the rest of the room.

"Excellent, I'm glad I've got you in here," Mrs. Potter said, expertly taking over for Sirius and doing up the rest of the bed. She Summoned the old sheets into her arms when she was finished. "Sirius, why don't you go and find some blankets and pillows for downstairs. James, listen up, please," she said briskly. She waited until Sirius was gone before turning to Lily and James. Lily knew what was coming and felt a huge wave of heat flooding her cheeks as she stared at Mrs. Potter, who proceeded to inform them both sternly that, even though they were of age, if there was any "room hopping", as she put it, there would be serious consequences.

"I know your mother, if she was – er – conscious enough, would say this to you, Lily, but as she isn't, I've decided to say it to both of you. Do we understand each other?"

Lily, who was staring at her in a kind of horrified shock, could only nod. Mrs. Potter looked at them sternly one last time before embracing Lily.

"That said, I am very glad you are here, Lily, and I hope I will have the pleasure of hosting you and your family here many times more," she said graciously. "Goodnight, dear."

Lily managed a "goodnight" in a tone that was a few octaves higher than usual before Mrs. Potter headed for the doorway. "Downstairs in five minutes, James Potter."

"Yes, Mum," James said meekly, and with that she went downstairs and left them standing alone together.

"Er, sorry about that," James said after a moment of silence. "She's, erm, a bit paranoid."

Lily grinned and looked at him closely for the first time since she had entered, her eyes sparkling mischievously. "And rightfully so, what with her son's wandering hands."

James relaxed visibly. "Excellent point, Miss Evans."

"Why thank you, Mr. Potter."

James shut the door quietly before returning to her. He cupped her face in his hands, gently stroking her cheeks with his thumbs. "Sleep well," he whispered. Chills ran up and down her spine as he slowly bent down and brushed her lips tenderly with his.

After a minute or so, however, it wasn't quite so tender anymore. Lily found herself lying flat on her back on his bed with him suspended above her, kissing her so passionately that the closet snog paled in comparison. She pulled him down by the neck and the feeling of their bodies pressing together nearly did her in.

"Too – much – clothes," James managed to gasp between kisses. Lily heartily agreed with him. Her shirt was halfway off before they heard a knock at the door; they both froze in place.

"Lily, darling? I've come to say goodnight."

It was Mr. Evans. James was off of Lily before she could blink. Her shirt was back in place and buttoned with remarkable speed.

"Can I come in?"

Too late; he was already opening the door. He peeked around it and spotted his flushed and breathless daughter seated on the bed right before he spotted an equally flushed and breathless James, standing on practically the opposite side of the room.

"Mr. Evans, sir. I was just leaving," he said, nodding to Lily before hastily slipping past Mr. Evans and down the stairs. _Traitor_, Lily thought venomously as she watched him leave. She registered the slightly enraged look on her father's face with great trepidation.

"Dad? Are you-?"

"Do I need to put a lock on this door?" Mr. Evans demanded, seeming to regain consciousness.

"What – Dad – no, James was just saying goodnight." Her father looked very unconvinced. Lily sighed. "Look, Dad, his mum already promised to hex us both into next week if we did any – er – 'room hopping'. And I wouldn't have anyway!" she said hastily, noticing that the apoplectic look had reappeared on his face.

He finally believed her after she swore up and down that she wouldn't do anything, and he left after she kissed him and practically shoved him out of the door.

When he was gone, she pressed a hand to her burning forehead. She was shaking slightly, and all she could think about was the way James's roaming hands had felt on the bare skin of her stomach.

_It's a good thing he left when he did_, was all Lily could think before changing her clothes and climbing into bed.

A _very_ good thing.


End file.
